My ideal VR headset would have to be the Oculus Quest. It
has a good balance of features that make it appealing to the VR newbie.
Obligatory photo of Oculus Quest
Like its predecessor the Oculus Go, it consists of a built in ARM SOC that allows it to play VR games optimised for smartphones. While these lack the graphics detail of AAA-grade PC games, they nonetheless provide plenty of immersion and fun. It also means that setup is extremely simple, allowing those with dirge-like technical knowledge to jump in and start playing. Its standalone nature makes it perfect for toting along to parties and being known as ‘the fun one’.
The standout feature (IMO) is the interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment, which makes it more ergonomic compared to the Oculus Go and Rift S. The horizontal distance between the VR lenses can be adjusted, such that the light rays get focused correctly into your eyeballs. I tried an Oculus Rift in 2014 and got VR sickness pretty fast, so anything that makes the experience less disorientating is always welcome.
Figure 1: IPDs of Oculus VR headsets, compared. [1]Figure 2: IPDs of Oculus Headsets, broken down by gender. [1]
As can be seen in the bar chart, the Quest has a far greater
IPD range than the Rift S and the Go. It’s great to see that Oculus is finally
thinking of the women and children, and also those with tiny mongoloid faces
(myself included).
The only downside I can think of is that it seems pretty front-heavy, which is never a good thing for extended periods of use. I’d have to actually try it on to see how it feels, though.
The Microsoft Hololens 2, released just last year, is a
significant advance on the previous version. It has twice the field of view,
it’s lighter, and the weight is balanced more towards the back. It now features
a flip up visor, which makes toggling between MR and RR (real reality) a
seamless experience. This should let it fit nicely into various
industry-oriented workflows. Like the original Hololens, it works when worn
over spectacles.
The Hololens 2 is able to understand its environment and user to a much greater degree. Some game changing features that have been added include Eye-tracking, Iris recognition, and custom-built AI inference capabilities. This opens up a world of possibilities for application developers – from biometric authentication to adaptive ergonomics.
However, the biggest indication that the Hololens ecosystem is starting to take off is the amount of buy-in in industries where MR makes the most sense. For example, GIGXR and Medivis are launching MR software platforms that focus on medical training and surgical theatre imaging. [2,3] These were developed in collaboration with Microsoft, and make use of its Hololens hardware.
“Pass me the virtual scalpel, I’m going to do some virtual cuts” “Get it yourself”
Having come from a surgical robotics background, such developments in the operating theatre are exciting to me and are part of the reason I took CS4240.
Here is a list of VR/AR/MR headsets that I think are great:
Oculus Quest
Sony PS VR
Valve Index
ThirdEye Gen X2
Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses
Microsoft HoloLens
Nreal Lightweight Glasses
In terms of my favourite VR headset, it would have to be the Oculus Quest.
The Oculus Quest pales in comparison in terms of specification compared to other VR headsets out there, such as the Valve Index. However, its best feature is the simplicity in setting it up. The Oculus Quest utilizes a built-in sensor array that recognizes the user’s environment, allowing them to easily map out a VR space the user can use. The Quest is also completely wireless, which adds on to a more immersive experience.
As a newcomer to the VR industry, the idea of a system that requires minimal setup and is essentially “plug-and-play” makes it extremely attractive. It is also reasonably priced with mid-ranged specs, allowing new users to obtain a decent VR experience without having to fork out exorbitant amounts of money.
Based on my search online, the preferred MR headset I would use is the Microsoft HoloLens. The HoloLens provides gesturing and gaze tracking, and can accurately map and interact with the environment, allowing for a seamless and immersive MR experience.
The only downside to the device would be its cost: with a price of $3000, it would be more suited towards professional or industrial usage, rather than for personal entertainment.
Heroes of Might and Magic IV is a turn-based strategy game developed by New World Computing (bankrupt) and published by the 3DO Company (also bankrupt) in 2002. It is set in the fictional world of Axeoth where there are mythical creatures such as dragons and vampires and elves and dwarves.
Image of adventure map taken from GoG
Lens of Elemental Tetrad:
Aesthetics: The graphics of the game were not particularly groundbreaking or realistic for its time. However, the art style was overall unified and consistent. It was also higher quality than the one in its predecessor HOMM III. While simple in design, the animated sprites were able to help players like me visualize the terrain and other objects in the game. Each creature and hero also had simple but unique character portraits to depict their appearances.
The game audio is composed by Rob King, Paul Romero and Steve Baca and features many different soundtracks from a variety of genres including classical, folk and country. The background music changes from town to town and also when travelling across biomes. Difference in music style across the biomes helps to further distinguish each of the representing factions. For example, Necropolis and Asylum have more chaotic and faster paced orchestral music while Nature is peaceful and relaxed. All in all, the game tracks and sound effects did very well in making HOMM IV an immersive and enjoyable experience.
Story: During the Reckoning, the world of Enroth is destroyed. Most of its inhabitants manage to escape through mysterious portals to the new world of Axeoth, where the game takes place. The base game features six individual campaigns that tell the story of how each of the leaders of the major factions of Axeoth came to power.
Mechanics: Everything in the game can be controlled with the left click of the mouse, from adventure movement to combat movement and even troop and structure management.
Players usually control one or more heroes and take command of an army of mythical creatures to travel and explore the map for towns, dwellings or resources while battling monsters and hostile armies. As heroes level up, they can pick up a new skill or improve an existing one such as Diplomacy or Archery. There are over 40 different specialized classes and a total of 36 skills that each have 5 levels of progression.
A campaign can span over multiple maps and ends when a key hero has died or when the player successfully completes the questline. Each adventure map is further divided into two levels, a subterranean underground and the surface. Players can traverse between the levels using portals located at certain points in the map.
Technology: Heroes of Might and Magic IV is available on Windows and Mac OS. It can run smoothly on any modern computer. The game supports multiplayer on the same computer and also over LAN as well.
Lens #4: The Lens of Curiosity While most of the campaign maps feature a linear story line, players are still encouraged to explore other parts of the map that are not necessary to completing the main objectives. Players are often rewarded with additional resource mines or story snippets as they explore every corner of each map.
Lens #16: The Lens of the Player Generally, players who play the Heroes of Might and Magic series like it for the depth of its gameplay. There are a ton of interactions between each creature due to the unique traits they can posses (for example, vampires can attack without retaliation while also leeching life at the same time) and players are constantly finding new strategies as they play through maps, be it against the AI or against another player.
Heroes of Might and Magic 4 remains true to the core gameplay of the series while making QoL changes to the UI, creature tiers and hero skillsets. This makes it an enjoyable game for both newcomers and veterans alike.
Lens #32: The Lens of Meaningful Choices Game Designer Sid Meier once said: “A game is a series of interesting decisions”. In Heroes of Might and Magic IV, you have to make many important decisions throughout the game.
Limited by resources and dwelling production rate, players have to make the choice between which types of creatures to produce and how many of each to produce. Throughout most of a campaign, players have to balance between building up their towns or buying units or equipment in order to maximize their effectiveness on the campaign map. During combat, the skillful micromanagement of a player can often turn the tide of battle against a numerically superior army.
Players can find enjoyment in min-maxing their army and hero builds and the veterans of the series are well rewarded for making smart choices by being able to conquer large expands of a map within a much shorter period of time than perhaps another player who is new to the game.
Lens #45: The Lens of Imagination HOMM IV is set in a fictional medieval world, represented by simple but yet detailed game sprites. A large portion of the game has been crafted in such a way to help the players imagine that they are a part of this imaginary game world. For example, the UI is designed very nicely such that every button has a look that fits into the theme of the game. Most of the story in the campaign is delivered by text in a box that looks like an old parchment and also narrated by voice actors (who sort of play as the character saying the lines) as you read through it. As mentioned above, the soundtracks do an excellent job of representing the traits of each faction and helps to build the atmosphere.
My first interaction with Virtual Reality (VR) headsets came when my friend asked if I was interested in developing for VR because his team in Engineering was keen to do VR training simulations with the Oculus Quest. I was first shown “First Contact”, a demo scene Oculus provides and was immediately blown away by the amazing graphics. I was also amazed by the ability of me to interact with the scene, which I knew was not actually realistic, but it felt so unbelievably real. After my first introduction to VR, I was certain that this is a field I want to work in, because I see its potential in solving so many real-world problems.
In fact, I was so intrigued by VR that after I was shown the
demo scene, I went back home and immediately searched for how I could purchase
my own Oculus Quest, only to realise how expensive it is (priced around $739).
Upon further research into gaming headsets, I realised that PlayStation VR cost
about $443, which sounds better in terms of price, until I realised that I
would still need to purchase a PlayStation console and other hardware to
complete the PlayStation VR set up, which ultimately suggests that it is a lot
more pricey than the Oculus Quest. Developing for the PlayStation VR itself is
also a hassle because you need to get the devkit from Sony themselves and it can
be overwhelming for new developers to dive into development for VR. Oculus
Quest development is pretty much the same as developing for Android since the
Quest runs on Android, therefore the barriers to entry is lower because there are
tutorials readily available on the web.
Then came the Oculus Rift S, which is about the same price
as the Oculus Quest as well. And considering that it is a PC-powered headset, I
felt that it would be inconvenient, especially comparing to the Oculus Quest
which allows to walk around a virtual environment with no annoying cables
attached. In general, these VR headsets felt a little pricey to me, especially
since I just began getting involved in VR. That was when I found out about the
Google Daydream View 2.
The Google Daydream View 2 is available at a relative low
price of SGD $160. It seems lightweight and very portable, compatible with many
Android phones such as those from Samsung, Huawei, LG and Google themselves.
This compatibility suggest that it is a very accessible headset for anyone who
is keen to try out VR for entertainment purposes. Based on video reviews, it
appears to user-friendly with not a too complicated set up process. The fact
that it is made of microfibres suggests that it is incredibly lightweight
compared to the chunkier PC-powered headsets such as the ones by HTC or Oculus.
The downside will be the graphical quality when compared to these PC-powered,
higher end headsets. Also, if you do not own a phone which is compatible with
the headset then you are unable to experience the Google Daydream View 2.
However, in my opinion, this is the best entry level headset for anyone keen on
trying out VR.
If I want to develop an application that everyone can experience easily, I would develop it for Android tested with Google Daydream View 2, because it will provide greater market reach albeit poorer quality graphics.
Google Daydream View 2
However, if I had the money, I would still choose to go with the Oculus Quest as my favourite VR headset. It is insane how portable the Quest is. When getting my project ready for demonstration to the Singapore Science Centre, all I really needed to do was to run my application once to test whether it works. There was no need to set up cameras around the room, connecting the controllers, turning on SteamVR, none of that extra setup required. On top of that, even though the Quest does not have as many games as the PlayStation VR, experts believe that the games available in the Oculus store will soon take over that of PlayStation store. Also, the Quest has superb graphics that is close enough to that provided with the Oculus Rift S, therefore, given the convenience, and the quality of graphics, I will put the Oculus Quest as my favourite VR headset.
Oculus Quest
I have never dabbled with any MR headsets, and while
searching online, I realised that the concept of a MR headset is not clearly
defined (most MR Headsets in fact offer more of a VR experience than actual
interaction with the physical environment). Meanwhile, headsets defined as AR
headsets such as the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the Magic Leap One, allows users
to interact with 3D virtual objects, and these objects can interact with the real-world
users see. Therefore, I will be comparing these 2 headsets because in my
opinion, the other MR headsets are in fact virtual reality headsets.
Based on the demos I viewed, I will be reviewing the headsets
based on tracking and controllers, software platform and interface, and finally
content and applications.
In terms of tracking and controllers, the HoloLens 2 stands
out, because it can follow the position of the ten fingers of the user, to the
point that you can play a piano in augmented reality. On the other hand, the
Magic Leap 1 works with a controller, but also provides hand tracking features.
However, the hand tracking feature of the Magic Leap 1 does not detect the
position of the user’s hands in world space, but it merely detects predefined
gesture commands.
In terms of the software platform and interface, the
HoloLens 2 offers a very intuitive interface whereby the user can interact
directly with buttons using their hands. In addition, the HoloLens 2 features
voice recognition, which appears to be very easy to use. The Magic Leap 1’s
interface seams pretty much like that you would get in a VR headset, whereby
you scroll through windows using the controller and you cannot interact with
the buttons on the interface directly.
And finally, the content and applications offered with the HoloLens 2 far exceeds that available for the Magic Leap 1. HoloLens 2 offers all applications available from the first HoloLens. It also includes a collaboration application called Spatial, which offers a unique and effective way of collaboration that I feel will revolutionise corporate meetings in years to come. The Magic Leap 1 has a lack of applications and current applications are technical demos rather than real life experiences. Even though the Magic Leap 1 is cheaper than the HoloLens 2, both headsets are very expensive in the first place. Therefore, I foresee that at this stage of MR headsets, the applications will be more catered to big companies who are keen on adopting MR in their training or day-to-day operations. Therefore, if I owned a big company and if I wanted to depend on MR for my workers, I would spend the extra amount of money to get the HoloLens 2 rather than the Magic Leap 1, simply because it provides a significantly better user experience. Therefore, I prefer the HoloLens 2.
I like the Google Daydream view for the VR headset. It is affordable with a lower starting price at 59.99. It is compatible with various Android smartphones and thus is more mainstream and consumer friendly as many consumers own an Android smartphone. I also like the fact that it looks completely different from most other VR headsets, it is built with soft breathable fabric for comfort and thus has the consumer’s comfort and experience in mind. In fact, the facepad is also hand washable, allowing users to keep the VR headset fresh and clean to share with friends.
Google Daydream View
As for AR headsets, Google Glass was the pioneer in that market. It made waves in the AR headset industry when it came out 2013 with the explorer version being released to certified “Glass Explorers”. It was a very novel product, with input being through voice commands and a touchpad mounted on the side of the device. Even the sound input was one of the first of its kind, using bone conduction to do so. However, it was not a viable mass market product and has thus pivoted for industrial use in the form of the Google Glass Enterprise Edition.
Hi, I am a undergraduate student in my last semester. My name is Randy Pang Chung and this would be my first blog post here and in my life.
The topic is about my favourite VR and MR headsets but to be frank, I do not own any headset nor have I ever tried one. This is just my opinion based on what I’ve seen and heard.
Firstly, of all the VR headset, I only know of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Playstation VR (PSVR) headset. Out of these three, I would be more interested in the PSVR as I more actively play console games as opposed to PC games.
Playstation VR headset, contoller and camera
However, the Oculus’ controllers, the Oculus Touch strikes me as the best controller with its compactness and ergonomic design. Its design similar to console controllers also strike my fancy.
Oculus Touch
As for the MR headsets, from what I have seen from brief search on the web, the best in my opinion is Microsoft’s HoloLens.
HoloLens
While, I would be fine gaming on a tethered VR headset, I feel that a MR headset that incorporates the physical world into the image, the headset should allow the user the freedom to roam about, else it would restrict application of the technology if the user is bound to the room.
The first ever VR headset that I have tried on was an Oculus Rift DK2 for my Orbital Project. Back when I used DK2, the cable runs over the back of the head which sometimes can drop down over the neck or shoulders, feels like it’s in the way. The screen resolution was not ideal, and the headset is heavy, making it uncomfortable over prolonged use. Not only that, the camera must be connected to a computer, thus restricting some movements.
From my experience then, the factors that I
looked out for in a VR headset are,
Comfortable even for prolonged use
High screen resolution and sound
Freedom of movement and minimal physical
restrictions
Easy & Quick Set up and configuration
The latest VR head mount displays ranking
high on the list are:
HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, Sony PlayStation VR, Google Daydream View, Oculus Rift S.
Looking through the list, my most preferred
device is Oculus Quest.
The Oculus Quest VR headset is wire-free with
six-degrees-of-freedom motion tracking and two controllers, and all without the
need for a separate computer to use it. It is reasonably priced at US$399 and
cheaper compared to HTC Vive Pro ($599). The graphics are high res and stunning
with an OLED display panel with 1440 x 1600 per eye solution and powered by
Snapdragon 835 processor. It also takes room scalability into consideration, so
the user doesn’t accidentally hit the wall.
The setting up of the headset is quick and
easy just by using the Oculus mobile app, apps are downloaded right to the
headsets onboard. The user is also able to share their VR experience with
others via smartphone or tv.
The only downside to Oculus Quest is that it
has slight light leakage and it has a short battery life, lasting only 2-3
hours.
However, compared to the other headsets in
the list, Oculus Quest has fulfilled my criteria and is my most preferred
device. From Hassle-free set up and configuration to an immersive experience
anywhere with no wires and having self-contained tracking with full six degree
of freedom motion to high-resolution built-in speakers, this is the excellent
VR for a standalone device, and it is reasonably priced.
As for MR, my most preferred device is Microsoft HoloLens 2.
It is light, gaze and eye tracking capabilities, allowing voice commands and easy to adjust. No restrictions on physical movements as it is wireless. It also supports gaze, gesture and voice controls and able to track your eyes to see what you are focusing on. HoloLens 2 allows the wearer to interact more intuitively with holograms, such as grabbing and rotating them.
It is comfortable for people who wear prescription lenses (like me) and the fact that it has a flip up visor, allowing the user to just flip it up to make eye contact easily. Despite its price tag, I think it’s the best so far for me.
Thanks to advances in both technology and commoditization of components and overall products, XR has become more and more common. Now, it can even be included in your everyday smartphones, game systems, and plenty of others devices. The development that goes into the hardware and software has also begun to be streamlined, so it is much easier to have access to these devices than it was, say 5 years ago.
So without further ado, here are some current XR devices that don’t come 1st to mind.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Nintendo Labo (VR Kit)
Nintendo Labo are a set of “toys come to life”, as Nintendo puts it. They are cardboard sets that encourage building, engineering, programming, and of course, playing games. Each set comes with a number of designs and minigames that correspond to each Labo design. However, we will be focusing on the VR kit.
There are 6 designs included with the VR kit: * VR goggles * Camera * Bird * Wind flap * Blaster * Elephant And in particular with the VR kit, it is compatible with some other non-Labo titles such as: * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate * Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild * Super Mario Odyssey * Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker The VR kit also allows you to write your own small minigames.
Pros
Cons
+ Gives the skills of building and programming to beginners
– No strap for the head
+ Lots of variety both in Labo kits themselves, as well as this particular VR kit
– Only 3 DoF
+ Able to create your own games, furthering creating your own experiences
– Pricey and a bit flimsy (USD $80)
+ Wireless
– Timely setup
+ Starter pack is cheap (USD $40 for goggles and blaster)
– Short games
– Poor visuals (720p screen and 2 lenses)
– Cardboard granules appear after use, lots of cleaning
Google Cardboard
Google Cardboard is Google’s current foray in XR, as well as their most successful. Previously, they tried their hand with Google Glass, an AR set of glasses, and Daydream, an enhanced Cardboard. But seeing as they failed, we will continue with Cardboard.
Seeing as Google Cardboard is just a cardboard headset with a phone placed in there, it functions about the same as a normal smartphone would. That being said, there is a Cardboard app that pairs your phone and allows you to tap into VR apps more. The momentum for Cardboard has been falling, due to no killer apps.
Pros
Cons
+ Open-source
– No standards in development
+ Cheap (USD $15)
– Resolution and refresh rate is only as good as your phone
+ Easy to assemble
– Makes VR seem gimmicky
+ Inspired many cheaper methods to achieve VR
– Lots of knockoff headsets that, admittedly are more stable
– Easier to experience dizziness and nausea, since the screen is 2 in from your face
– No dedicated controller comes with the device, unless you have a Daydream (failed) or buy a controller separately
Relativ (Relativty)
Relativty is a completely open-source, DIY VR headset. Built using Arduino, anyone is able to create, develop, and contribute to this small project. This project pretty much just focuses on the headset itself, but others in the community have made games and peripherals for this. Because it’s 100% open-sourced and relatively new as of writing, there’s only so much I can comment on, so I will leave the site and GitHub below: https://www.relativty.net/ https://github.com/relativty/Relativ
Pros
Cons
+ 100% open-source
– Arduino Due sensors don’t work well, so that code is being deprecated
+ 9 DoF is coming
– No standards in development
+ Multiple 3D-printable models exist
– No controllers (at least officially supported ones) exist, but are in development
+ Small, but active community
– Check the 3D models on the sizes of components, as they might not be the same as the ones listed in the Wiki
+ Based on OSVR
– Not standalone
+Works with SteamVR
+ 100% customizable to individual needs, due to being open-source and Arduino-based
Winner: Relativ (Relativty) I love open-source projects and I love DIY projects. I also have a bit of a bias, as I recently just built this and am trying to figure out controller support. If you just want to have a go at VR on your own, I’d highly recommend this, as you get a basic idea on the ins-and-outs of what’s in a VR headset, as well as specify this to your own needs. For all the materials, it was supposed to cost around USD $100, but I was able to get it down to about USD $80.
Augmented Reality (AR) / Mixed Reality (MR)
Vuzix Blade
The Blade, unlike the other glasses in Vuzix’s lineup, bill themselves as a head’s up display rather than a fully MR device. The OS is Android, and while you can somewhat use it as a standard Android device, there are several apps developed specifically for the Blade.
Some companies that have developed or worked with the Blade include: * Amazon * Accuweather * Yelp * Google
Pros
Cons
+ Simplistic UI
– Bulky and uncomfortable
+ Alexa is built-in
– Has few apps optimized for it
+ Rechargeable battery, with up to 8 hours
– Pricey (USD $800)
+ Touch pad
– Battery drains very fast
+ Motion detection
+ Expandable memory via MicroSD
Magic Leap 1
Magic Leap 1 is the 1st generation MR device from Magic Leap. It uses its own custom OS known as LuminOS. LuminOS is designed with spatial computing in mind, dealing with motion detection and object placement.
There have been a number of games and art installations revolving around using the Magic Leap 1, and the 2 is on the way. But since it is the 1st of the company’s, there is only so much software.
Pros
Cons
+ 8 GB RAM, 128 GB of storage
– Very little software
+ Comes with controller
– Pricey (USD $2295)
+ Custom OS to fit the needs of the device
– To use the simulations, you have to hook it up to a battery pack
+ Sleek design, comfortable
– Battery life of 3.5 hours
+ Motion detection for head, hands, and eyes; object placement and interaction
Varjo XR-1
Varjo’s XR-1 is the 1st of the company’s Mixed Reality line. It is mainly aimed at businesses and in the field of medicine. As a full on headset, the virtual view can be turned off in favor of the real world view.
The main use cases of the XR-1 is for R&D teams, as seen by the requirements for using it. It has near photorealism in the virtual world.
Pros
Cons
+ High-end graphics
– Very pricey (USD $10000)
+ Can go in and out of virtual world
– High requirements for use
+ Motion detection and object placement
– Use cases are currently only for businesses and R&D
– Some of the photorealism leans into the uncanny valley
– Not standalone, tethered
Winner: Magic Leap 1 While still in the early stages, the Magic Leap 1 shows a lot of promise in all industries. LuminOS seems to work relatively well, considering its not even in 1.0 yet. If the price can be lowered and more developers get interested, I think the Magic Leap will not only be a good competitor for Microsoft, but a great device to own.
In 2020 there are many options for VR hardware. My personal preference are standalone headsets as I prefer the freedom and don’t need to worry about tripping over wires. I also believe that this leads to greater freedom with designing applications for VR as it does not restrict the movements of the user. Because of this, I am choosing the Oculus Quest as my favourite VR headset. The Oculus Quest uses outward-facing cameras to provide 6DOF motion tracking, and uses Oculus Touch motion controls. Combined with a faster Snapdragon 835 processor makes this VR headset incredibly immersive.
Best MR HeadsetsHololens 2
In terms of choosing my favourite MR headset it would definitely be the Hololens 2 (assuming that money wasn’t an issue). I have had the opportunity to try out the Hololens when it first came out and I was in awe. It seamlessly blends real life and computer generated graphics and had so many useful applications. This version is even lighter, a custom AI chip to improve performance and has a wider field of view so I think it would be even more impressive.
Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290, 4 GB RAM
– Headband – Left-right controllers
2019
Valve Index
– 130 degrees FOV with adjustable eye relief and IPD – Tethered – RGB LCD screens – External headphones that do not touch ears – 80/90/120Hz – 6DOF controllers – No wireless option available for now
– Headband – Left-right controllers – 2 base stations
2019
Out of all the listed VR devices above, the one I like the
most (based on the description and research on the internet) is Oculus Quest,
but if price is disregarded then it would be Vive Pro Eye. The points that I consider
when making that decision are the price to quality ratio, design, wireless
capability, and sensors.
I personally prefer untethered to tethered devices, which is strongly supported by the possibility that our legs may get tangled because VR activities mostly require body movements and that is quite dangerous, so there are 3 devices that fit the preference: Oculus Quest, Vive Pro and Vive Cosmos (by purchasing wireless adapter). Next thing to consider is the platform support. For Oculus Quest, it is not possible to connect to SteamVR unless you want to perform additional actions to make it possible (e.g. using Vridge or purchasing Oculus Link). Meanwhile, Vive Pro and Vive Cosmos support steamVR from the get-go and an alternative called Viveport. Having more options is always a nice thing, which is why I lean towards Vive VR devices in this category.
Aesthetically speaking, Oculus Quest wins in this department in my book due to its simplistic design. However, it may not be comfortable when worn on the head because it is quite heavy since all the hardware (CPU, memory, storage, graphics, etc.) that makes it wireless and the sensors contribute to the additional weight of the headset.
Oculus Quest
Having external sensors is not all that bad to me, they just require an initial setup to your room, thus not adding more weight to the headset which Vive Pro trumps at. If we are comparing Vive Pro to Vive Cosmos, I would rather have the former device. On top of not adding weights to the headset, outside-in tracking system (in Vive case the “base stations”) excels more at precision tracking than integrated sensors (inside-out tracking) which Vive Cosmos has. Plus, if you happen to use a software that takes eyes movement as an input, Vive Pro Eye got that covered.
When we are talking about price tag, however, Vive Pro is the most expensive out of all 3 options and that is not even including the wireless adapter or the eye tracking upgrade. Again, my choice would be Vive Pro Eye if price is not an issue.
Vive Pro Eye
AR Devices
Device/Feature
Unique Features
Type
Year Released
Vuzix Blade
– Quad-core ARM CPU – 8 Megapixel camera – Android OS – Head motion trackers – Touch pad – Wi-fi compatible – Voice commands and control – Haptic vibration alerts – 19 degrees to 28 degrees FOV – 2-2.5 hours of battery life
Smartglasses
2019
Wayray Navion
– SLAM capability – 4G connection – 30ft distance to virtual image – Advanced inertial sensors and GPS – 8 degrees x 4 degrees FOV
Holographic navigation system for cars
TBD
Apple ARKit 3
– 2D and 3D object detection and tracking – Plane detection – Face detection – Light Estimation – SLAM capability
Smartphone AR SDK
2019
First of all, I would like to say that AR devices that exist in the present come in various forms and purposes (smartglasses, projector, AR SDK kits, etc.), so it is harder for me to decide which one I like as each of them may excel in their own field. But for smartglasses, Vuzix Blade is up there on my personal preference.
Vuzix Blade
Vuzix blade, for example, is very similar to the predecessor of AR smartglasses, which is Google Glass. It works just like Google Glass, in essence it is a smartphone in form of a pair of glasses. But instead of the information being displayed on a smartphone screen, it is all displayed on your glasses screen. Notifications, calls, messages, taking photos or even yelp review when looking at a restaurant. Notable improvement from Google Glass such as the design: Vuzix Blade design is a huge step up from Google Glass. Google Glass design is widely criticized due to making the wearer looks goofy. However, Vuzix Blade looks just like any other trendy glasses. It is hard to tell if they are actually a pair of smartglasses unless someone takes a closer look.
Unfortunately there is an inconvenient downside of Vuzix Blade. They do not have speakers, so you have to use the Bluetooth function to pair it with your smartphone or Bluetooth headset when calling someone or listening to Alexa’s feedbacks.
Wayray Navion is another interesting and unique AR device for me, as it is a holographic AR navigation system used for cars by projecting layers of information to the car windshield. Some of the features are displaying speedometer, additional UI to warn the driver of an incoming pedestrian crossing the street, GPS system (routes and directions), and building identification.
There are not a lot of true MR devices existing in the public. Windows Mixed Reality devices, for example, are classified as VR headsets even though they have mixed reality as parts of the name. For MR category, my choice of device would be Varjo XR-1. It has the features of switching from MR to fully VR easily, photorealistic virtual objects, a very wide FOV, and ultra low latency. Those are all the attributes needed for a MR device to create an immersive experience of mixed reality, and Varjo XR-1 has it all, of course, with a hefty price tag.
Magic Leap 1
While Microsoft Hololens 2 and Magic Leap 1 project holographic objects (to which they do refer the virtual objects created by their respective devices as holograms) that are a little bit transparent (see-through), Varjo XR-1 offers a more immersive experience by rendering the objects to be solid and photorealistic. Not to mention, there is also a pretty crucial existing problem to Magic Leap 1. When virtual objects are approached and very short distance is left between them and the wearer, part of the objects are cut off from sight depending on how close you are. Personally, that would really decrease the immersion value by a lot, and there is also the hologram-like objects reducing more of the immersion.
